Greater London · England
Paella Catering for Surrey Canal events
Live paella catering, cooked fresh in giant pans at your event in Surrey Canal: paella cooked from scratch in giant pans, in full view of your guests.
- Birthday celebrations
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Family celebrations and christenings
Live paella catering in Surrey Canal
Why live cooking beats a buffet
Compared with a hog roast or barbecue, paella makes vegetarian, vegan and halal guests easier to cater for, thanks to separate pans. It’s served quickly from the pan, so queues move. Extras such as tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are priced separately, so you can choose exactly what you need.
Why book with us
- Hot food served quickly from the pan
- Waiting staff and crockery on request
- We cover Surrey Canal and the whole of Greater London
- A clear, itemised quote
Paella catering for your event in Surrey Canal
Keep it simple, or go all out: paella on its own, or with canapés, table tapas, desserts and sangria. We’ll suggest what suits your event. We cook seafood paella, mixed paella and vegetable paella, and we’re regularly asked to cater community events and fairs and retirement and leaving parties.
In a London neighbourhood like Surrey Canal, the cooking spot is usually a back garden, a courtyard or a venue’s terrace. The thing to plan is parking and unloading, so tell us about permits, bays or a driveway when you ask for a quote. Every guest is catered for, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal included, each in a separate pan.
- Area
- Surrey Canal (SE16, SE15, SE14)
- Area hub
- Greater London
- Special diets
- Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, halal
- Extras
- Canapés, desserts, sangria and staff
- Price
- Ask us for a quote
- Updated
- 23 October 2026
Planning for every diet
Every guest is catered for, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal included. To get it right:
- Add a dietary question to your invitations
- Tell us what else is being served
- Count adults and children separately
- Make sure each pan is labelled
Any staff you book serve and clear, so you can enjoy your guests.
Bread, salad and lemon go well alongside.
About the dishes
Paella Valenciana
Paella Valenciana is the original: chicken, beans and saffron, not seafood. It is often the most popular pan at an event.
Black rice
Arroz negro is coloured and flavoured with squid ink, traditionally with alioli. It makes a dramatic second seafood pan.
Before you choose a spot
If a space is not suitable, we will tell you, and suggest an alternative. What matters most:
- Parking close enough to carry equipment
- Level ground for the pans and burners
- Confirmation that open cooking is allowed
Surrey Canal is in London, within the Ultra Low Emission Zone, and parking can be tight: tell us about parking bays, permits or a driveway.
Not sure about your space? Send us a photo and we’ll tell you honestly before you book.
Popular choices
- Chicken & chorizo paella
- Vegetable paella
- Paella Valenciana
- Seafood paella
- Black rice (arroz negro)
- Vegan paella
- Mixed paella
FAQs for Surrey Canal
Could we have live paella in Deptford Park?
Only with permission from the park’s owner, typically the council. Check with them, and we’ll provide our paperwork.
Can you cater a reception after a service at St Katharine with St Bartholomew?
Yes, at a garden, marquee or venue nearby with a suitable spot to cook. Live cooking generally happens at the reception venue, not the church. Tell us where the reception will be.
Does paella work for big events?
Yes, that’s what it’s made for. We plan the number of pans and serving points around your numbers.
Do you cater for coeliacs?
We can cook a gluten-free paella in its own pan. Tell us about any coeliac guests when you book so we can plan it carefully.
Do you take everything away?
We take our equipment and leave the cooking area tidy. Table clearing is available with waiting staff.
Do you do vegan paella?
Yes, and they’re popular with everyone. They have their own pans, stock and spoons.
Can you serve drinks?
Yes, sangria. We can also supply bar staff for your own drinks.
Which paella is most popular?
Two or three is usual: a mixed or chicken paella, a seafood paella and a vegetable or vegan one. See the sample menu.
Why choose paella catering in Surrey Canal?
There’s no kitchen needed, so it is at home in gardens, fields and marquees where plated meals are hard.
If you’re planning any of these, we can help:
- Weddings, from canapés to evening food
- Festivals, fairs and school events
- Retirement celebrations
- Office lunches and staff parties
Historic houses near Surrey Canal include Queen's House (2.1 miles east) and Mansion House (2.5 miles north-west). Historic venues often limit cooking, so ask early if you’re booking one.
Questions to ask before you book
- If the price includes VAT
- When final numbers are due
- Space, access and power needs
- The deposit and payment dates
What paella catering costs
Here’s what makes the biggest difference to the price:
- How long we’re needed on site
- Guest numbers
- How many courses
- Parking and unloading
When you compare quotes, check what each one includes: staff, crockery, sides, travel and VAT. We itemise ours.
What we need to know
To speed things up, tell us:
- Roughly how many adults and children
- Any dietary needs and allergies
- What the venue already provides
- A photo of the cooking space, if it’s a garden or field
Every event is quoted individually, so the price fits what you actually want. To ask for one, fill in our quote form.
Step by step
The cooking is part of the entertainment. Onion, garlic, peppers and tomato go in first, then the stock and saffron, then the rice, which cooks without stirring while your guests chat. Evenings in Surrey Canal stay light until about 9:20pm in June, but by late September sunset is around 7:05pm; once it is dark, we need light to cook and serve by.
- You share your date, numbers and venue.
- We plan a menu that covers every diet.
- We arrive early to set up the burners and pans.
- The paella cooks as guests gather round.
- Service is straight from the pan, then we pack down.
How to prepare
- Give us a contact for the day
- Make sure we can park close by to unload
- Check the venue allows live cooking
Ask for a quote
Thinking about paella catering for your event in Surrey Canal? Send us the details and we will come back with ideas and a quote. To contact us, send us your details through our quote form.
Read more
Paella catering around Surrey Canal
Surrey Canal is about 1 mile north-west of New Cross, in Greater London. Whether your event is in the middle of Surrey Canal or on the outskirts, paella catering works the same way: paella cooked live, every diet catered for and a clear quote. Surrey Canal is one of 764 places in Greater London where we cook.
Parks such as Deptford Park generally need the owner’s permission for cooking, so ask before you plan a party there. If you’re organising a summer fair for a school like Ilderton Primary School, a paella stall is a crowd-pleaser.
We cater events across SE16, SE15 and SE14. Whether your event is on Pump Lane, Bush Road and Water Lane or anywhere nearby, we can cook there. You will find Surrey Canal on the A200 and A2208, which makes it straightforward to bring the equipment. For events just outside Surrey Canal, we cover South Bermondsey (1 mile west), Surrey Quays (1 mile north-east), Rotherhithe (1 mile north), Peckham (1 mile south-west) and Deptford (1 mile south-east). We also cook in nearby towns such as City of Westminster (5 miles north-west), Marylebone (5 miles north-west), Kensington (7 miles west), St Pancras (4 miles north-west), Shoreditch (3 miles north-west) and Walthamstow (7 miles north).
Other landmarks nearby include Surrey Quays Shopping Centre (0.7 miles north) and Nunhead (1.3 miles south). Green spaces nearby include New Cross Gate Cutting and Tower Hill.
- Nearby schools include City of London Academy (0.6 miles west) and Southwark Free School (0.6 miles south-west)
- Nearby, you’ll find The Surrey Docks pub (0.5 miles north)
Towns and villages near Surrey Canal
Also in Surrey Canal
Working with your venue
Planning an event for a club, school or charity in Surrey Canal? Live paella feeds a crowd quickly and suits most diets. Tell us about the event and we’ll suggest a menu.
Hosting a party at home? Send us a picture of the garden and tell us about access, and we will let you know if live paella is a good fit.
- Cooked live in giant pans at your event
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal options
- Paella, tapas, canapés and desserts
- Sangria, bar staff, crockery and waiting staff